7 ms·

Reasons Not to Pitch Your Startup to Techcrunch

21 points by daveying99 13y ago

anmol 13y ago
Related to #3, while your users aren't reading TC, your potential competitors most likely are... So pick your forum based on the audience. On the flip side, TC gets syndicated widely, and is very helpful for technical hiring.
- daveying99 13y ago
  I totally agree with the point about technical hiring
minimaxir 13y ago
I'm not sure why pitching to TechCrunch and pitching to other blogs/Twitter are mutually exclusive.
- daveying99 13y ago
  Hey minimaxir, you're right that they're not. Founders are short on time and need to focus. So I'm illustrating a point that you can reliably get publicity within the time limit that you allocate for this activity. It doesn't need to be a hit or miss :)
ronilan 13y ago
tl;dr - main reason - grapes are sour.
- daveying99 13y ago
  Not really :)
EGreg 13y ago
So this piece is publicity for Publiseek? How is Publiseek different from HARO?
- daveying99 13y ago
  Hi Egreg, I'm going to go ahead and say that yes it is. In the sense that every piece of content you share online with your name on it is publicity. That includes that instagram photo of a great day at the beach, that blog post you wrote about reaching your 50th paid user, or a retweet of a hacker news article about lisp. In each case you're saying look, that's me, that's what I do, and that's what I stand for. It's called content marketing. And everyone is doing it if they're aware of it or not.
  - EGreg 13y ago
    Agreed. And nothing wrong with it! (As long as you mean what you post.) So how is Publiseek different from HARO?
    - daveying99 13y ago
      Hey Egreg, I've met Peter Shankman and love what he's done with HARO. However we're doing a few things differently. First, it's global from day one. So we have a much lower volume of overall queries to start with. However we've already made connections in the UK, India, US, & Dubai (where we're based). Second, opportunities are public and shared. This is a huge no no with HARO look at this link for example: http://www.publiseek.com/opportunity/seeking-new-stories-for-forbes-magazine/ http://www.publiseek.com/opportunity/seeking-new-stories-for... Third: any content creator (not just reporters) can use it. That includes movie producers (product placements), event organizers (speaking opportunities), etc. Also we're putting a bit more focus on design/branding. Hope this answers your question. Do you use HARO?
      - EGreg 13y ago
        I signed up but I hardly use it. Mostly because I created a filter for the emails and rarely check them. There are great opportunities there. But what are your thoughts on Ryan Holiday from American Apparel and what he said about media manipulation via HARO and other sources: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/07/18/how-this-guy-lied-his-way-into-msnbc-abc-news-the-new-york-times-and-more/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/07/18/how-this-g...
Major_Grooves 13y ago
Hi Davey - on your site Publiseek, it is in English but quite a lot of emphasis that is works in FRANCE too. Why is that? It's kinda offputting if I just want to reach UK media.
- daveying99 13y ago
  Hey Major_Grooves, that's a bug, IP geolocation gone wrong :( If you select United Kingdom you'll only get publicity opportunities related to the UK. let me know if I can do anything to help. By the way what is your startup about? :)
  - Major_Grooves 13y ago
    haha - ok, that's quite a funny bug! ;) My startup is a place where freelancers and small business owners can anonymously exchange data about when their business customers pay them vs agreed terms. I'm in closed beta and I haven't tried the whole "Show HN" thing yet. ;) You can take a look here: https://www.satago.co.uk https://www.satago.co.uk I would be wanting to reach lots of UK business press as the whole late-payment problem is something that affects companies all over the country and is often in the press. Anyway, I'll sign up and take a look. Thanks!
    - daveying99 13y ago
      Cool, I tried to signup but needed an invite code:) I think that satago would fit nicely into a few media themes like what people can do to beat the recession, the empowerment of small businesses, and crowdsourcing data.
      - Major_Grooves 13y ago
        Yep, tis' indeed a "closed" beta. ;) If you want a peek there should have been a sign-up page to leave your email address to get access. But then you are in Dubai so maybe not so interesting for you...? Indeed I should be of interest for all those topics. In fact I am funded so far by crowd-funding - I have 60 investors via www.seedrs.co.uk

21 points by daveying99 13y ago

anmol 13y ago

Related to #3, while your users aren't reading TC, your potential competitors most likely are... So pick your forum based on the audience. On the flip side, TC gets syndicated widely, and is very helpful for technical hiring.

daveying99 13y ago
I totally agree with the point about technical hiring

minimaxir 13y ago

I'm not sure why pitching to TechCrunch and pitching to other blogs/Twitter are mutually exclusive.

daveying99 13y ago
Hey minimaxir, you're right that they're not. Founders are short on time and need to focus. So I'm illustrating a point that you can reliably get publicity within the time limit that you allocate for this activity. It doesn't need to be a hit or miss :)

ronilan 13y ago

tl;dr - main reason - grapes are sour.

daveying99 13y ago
Not really :)

EGreg 13y ago

So this piece is publicity for Publiseek? How is Publiseek different from HARO?

daveying99 13y ago
Hi Egreg, I'm going to go ahead and say that yes it is. In the sense that every piece of content you share online with your name on it is publicity. That includes that instagram photo of a great day at the beach, that blog post you wrote about reaching your 50th paid user, or a retweet of a hacker news article about lisp. In each case you're saying look, that's me, that's what I do, and that's what I stand for. It's called content marketing. And everyone is doing it if they're aware of it or not.
- EGreg 13y ago
  Agreed. And nothing wrong with it! (As long as you mean what you post.) So how is Publiseek different from HARO?
  - daveying99 13y ago
    Hey Egreg, I've met Peter Shankman and love what he's done with HARO. However we're doing a few things differently. First, it's global from day one. So we have a much lower volume of overall queries to start with. However we've already made connections in the UK, India, US, & Dubai (where we're based). Second, opportunities are public and shared. This is a huge no no with HARO look at this link for example: http://www.publiseek.com/opportunity/seeking-new-stories-for-forbes-magazine/ http://www.publiseek.com/opportunity/seeking-new-stories-for... Third: any content creator (not just reporters) can use it. That includes movie producers (product placements), event organizers (speaking opportunities), etc. Also we're putting a bit more focus on design/branding. Hope this answers your question. Do you use HARO?
    - EGreg 13y ago
      I signed up but I hardly use it. Mostly because I created a filter for the emails and rarely check them. There are great opportunities there. But what are your thoughts on Ryan Holiday from American Apparel and what he said about media manipulation via HARO and other sources: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/07/18/how-this-guy-lied-his-way-into-msnbc-abc-news-the-new-york-times-and-more/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/07/18/how-this-g...

Major_Grooves 13y ago

Hi Davey - on your site Publiseek, it is in English but quite a lot of emphasis that is works in FRANCE too. Why is that? It's kinda offputting if I just want to reach UK media.

daveying99 13y ago
Hey Major_Grooves, that's a bug, IP geolocation gone wrong :( If you select United Kingdom you'll only get publicity opportunities related to the UK. let me know if I can do anything to help. By the way what is your startup about? :)
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  haha - ok, that's quite a funny bug! ;) My startup is a place where freelancers and small business owners can anonymously exchange data about when their business customers pay them vs agreed terms. I'm in closed beta and I haven't tried the whole "Show HN" thing yet. ;) You can take a look here: https://www.satago.co.uk https://www.satago.co.uk I would be wanting to reach lots of UK business press as the whole late-payment problem is something that affects companies all over the country and is often in the press. Anyway, I'll sign up and take a look. Thanks!
  - daveying99 13y ago
    Cool, I tried to signup but needed an invite code:) I think that satago would fit nicely into a few media themes like what people can do to beat the recession, the empowerment of small businesses, and crowdsourcing data.
    - Major_Grooves 13y ago
      Yep, tis' indeed a "closed" beta. ;) If you want a peek there should have been a sign-up page to leave your email address to get access. But then you are in Dubai so maybe not so interesting for you...? Indeed I should be of interest for all those topics. In fact I am funded so far by crowd-funding - I have 60 investors via www.seedrs.co.uk